For Graduation
Rock Me Baby Nine o' clock (Human world time) AM, the peak of the morning at the start of class at the Shin'ō Academy, specifically the advanced class. Izaya Nishimura, the teacher of the advanced class, stood in front of his classroom and looking over each and every one of his students. As his eyes shifted from one side of the room to the other, his glasses slide down his nose which he had to push back up using his index finger. "Good morning, my students." He finally spoke. His hand still etched up against the frame of his glasses to prevent them from falling down even more. Perhaps it was time for him to invest in a new pair. Just where did all of his go? "In the past three months, you lot have shown tremendous results. I have some good news pertaining to one of your now former classmates." Removing his hand from his face, he then stood to his feet and used his palms to perch himself up against the table as if his arms where beams for support. "Your classmate Kazuki Kawahiru has recently been admitted into the Eleventh Division, headed by Captain Ninigi Sengoku. It is also the division I come from." His glasses slid down his face once again, resting on the tip of his nose. "For now..." Placing his thumb against the frame of his glasses, he pushed them back up to his nose. "I want to ask you, which of the three spiritual combat arts, do you prefer and why? In this class, there is a ton of variety, each of you uses a primary method of combat. Why do you choose this method? What makes it stand out among the rest?" Izaya looked across his class, students meeting his eyes at each point he paused. All of them sitting attentively in their seats, waiting for Izaya's next words. "Yuu." He paused, holding the frame of the classes even tighter than before. "Which do you prefer?" Yuu sat there for a moment, all to aware that all eyes were upon him for a moment. He didn't particularly like the spotlight, but it was the teacher's right to ask the question. "I honestly prefer a balance of all three sir. Sure, all of them have their perks, but combined I think they are better than they would be apart. If I had to choose I would pick Hakuda, due to it coming easily to me, but I would prefer all 3." "Oh." Izaya was surprised at Yuu's initial statement. Yes, he'd expected him to have chosen Hakuda right off the bat but did not think he'd have preferred a balance of all three. His origin, build, and overall being was primarily meant for someone who could do the job with his fist. Then you take into account the Rukongai district he was from, you'd truly believe Yuu to be a behemoth. Even then, the in-training soul was one of his star students. The only thing holding Yuu back was probably his own wanting to stay in the academy for more of its curriculum. Returning to reality, Izaya pushed up on his glasses, moving them closer to his face. "That was unexpected. Though, I guess you learn something every day." Izaya looked across his class once more, then his eyes stopped, fixating themselves on a white-skinned girl sitting towards the back of the class. "Hikaru, tell me which of the three do you feel is most vital of the three spiritual arts." At the heed of Izaya's inquiry, Hikaru stood up from her chair attentively. "I'm not entirely certain, Izaya-sensei," she replied causally. "I don't think I have enough experience with all four arts to have a proper opinion, but....I would say that I enjoy Kidō more than the other forms." Hikaru gestured to herself. "You see, I'm smaller than most other Shinigami, which makes Zanjutsu and Hakuda difficult for me. I lack the physical strength to utilize them effectively, but with Kidō, all I need is concentration and conviction. My body doesn't hold me back." Another Shinigami-in-training looked at the girl as she spoke. His attention was undivided as he listened to her words, doing the same for her as he did the teacher. He paid attention and respect to others as to not be viewed entirely as some bum from the Rukongai. As she finished speaking, Kamui turned towards their instructor and raised his hand. "Much like her, I too prefer Kidō. They are versatile abilities that allow the user to accomplish much. I also wish to enhance my Shunpō, as speed in a battle can best even those stronger than myself." The young man placed his hand back down, looking around at his fellow students to receive affirmation they heard what he said. As he turned back towards Izaya, he prepared to listen to the next brave soul to speak their beliefs. "Good, I see!" Izaya said, smiling to his two students. "It is important to gain knowledge in all four of the fields; Zanjutsu, Kidō, Hohō, and Hakuda. Not in the retrospect that you need to learn all four, but simply because you never know when it could become relevant. Either asked about it or within actual combat." He turned to face Kamui for a brief moment, sliding his glasses back up to his face. "Kamui, remember, Hohō is more than just the shunpō. Find ways to mix and match it to the best of your abilit-.." Izaya stopped, "Just don't disappoint, Kamui." "Alright," he said, transitioning into a completely separate topic. "Most of you have passed your entrance exams and as such you all have all been given the luxury of selecting your own squads." He reached for a stack of blank white cards and began to walk around the class, placing them onto the tables in front of the students who had been deemed "graduates". "On these cards, you will place your name, your squad of choice, and any additional information you'd like to add. I myself would suggest giving these lieutenants, that's who'll likely be reading these, a bit of information about you and why you'd likely be a good fit into their divisions." By the time he finished that statement, he had finished passing out the cards and returned to the front of the class to look at all of his students. His glasses had almost fallen off and rather than push them up with his fingers, he removed them entirely and wiped them with his haori. "Most of these squads have specializations. For example: Second Division is the stealth corps, Fifth Division are the Police Force for the majority of the Seireitei, Twelfth Division is the Science Division, etcetera. Take things like your skills fitting into their squads into consideration, or maybe being willing to learn something new in its entirety. You until the end of this class to finish..." Izaya looked up to the ceiling, "That's about, ten minutes? After that, you will all head to lunch and once you're fat and full, you'll be prepped up to get ready for the "Graduation Ceremony"... if you even want to call it that." Eyes scanning the classroom he paused, "Talking to one another about the decision of your squads will be prohibited, I want you all to make decisions for yourselves. You can talk about it later at lunch. Now, begin." Darkness. It was dark for quite a while except for the guiding lights which traversed around him. Was this what death felt like? Warm? Calm? Not an ounce of fear...The young dark skinned man remembered his memories slowly slipping away as he entered deeper into the never-ending world of emptiness. He wasn't lost. The strange humanoid light guided him to where he needed to be. It promised him safety. Swore that it was neither good nor evil but a cog meant to continue a cycle. What cycle? Then the lights disappeared as darkness swirled around him. Was he falling? Did that mean- Birds- The chirping of birds mingled with the smell of poverty. He slowly opened his eyes to a bright blue sky filled with scarce clouds. The young man took a deep breath of fresh air as his hands slowly dug into the soil beneath him. Was this all a dream? Was he- "Excuse me!" The shrieking voice of an elder gentleman caused the young man to shoot up. He frantically looked around, hoping to survey the area. A village? Was this his home? He tried to make out as much as he could through the strands of his unkempt hair. Since when did his hair touch the lower of his back!? "Move out the way you imbecile!" Such impoliteness! The young man jumped out of the way and ran to a nearby shed. His eyes quickly jumping back and forth in an attempt to figure out what happened. He darted through the shady alleyway but found himself lost. He tripped, falling before a puddle which reflected back to him a face covered in hair. Low eyes. A soft gaze. What is your name? A female voice emerged from behind him. But there was only the exit to the alleyway when the man jumped to attention. Gizoku took a deep breath as he sat up. The future shinigami was able to skip today's class due to feeling under the weather. Rarely did he ever succumb to sickness, often claiming that his body possessed extremely powerful antibodies. However the universe decided to give him a dose of humble pie. Luckily, Gizoku managed to convince Izaya to let him take today off. Albeit the instructor sent over one of the other students to his quarters to deliver a paper with instructions. "God, you can't give me a break?!" Gizoku grumbled as he sipped his jasmine tea. HIs soft eyes analyzed the paper within the folded envelope. "Which of the three spiritual combat arts, do you prefer and why? Why do you choose this method? What makes it stand out among the rest?" That's a question! Most Shinigami Gizoku encountered exhibited a balanced mastery of Zankensoki. Still, history showed that those who specialized in a single aspect tended to possess a proficiency for greatness. Whether or not the young soul had done so intentionally, he hadn't the slightest idea. But he knew the answer already. Gizoku picked up a pen and checked off Zanjutsu before sliding it back into the envelope. It was the Sword Master who found the young man fighting for survival in that hell. He taught him his signature sword form before recommending that he become a Shinigami. Gizoku was a fighter. His heart felt no better than when in combat. From fighting off other thieves of the Rukongai to even practicing against his fellow recruits. His former master told him the squad he'd probably enjoy the most. And although rough and brutal, Gizoku knew he'd be able to get in their and make a name for himself. The dark skinned warrior wrote his name on the paper as well as his squad. He also decided to add his Shikai name. Gizoku smiled and put the paper away. He got ready and headed out to hand the paper away to the designated official. Graduation approached pretty fast! ---- Hideki had sat in his chair, pondering over what squad he would choose to join. He had no desire to join the Stealth Corps or the SRDI, and the Police Force didn't appeal to him either. Absentmindedly staring at his paper would do nothing for him at the moment, so he just put down the first number that came to mind. With that mindset, he put down the character for the First Division. It was less of what the division stood for or functioned as within the Gotei 13, and more the storied past of the squad that made it come to mind first. Names like Kyoraku and Sasakibe were ingrained in his mind as heroes who embodied what all Shinigami should strive to be. After putting down the squad, he put down miscellaneous details about himself: that he was a hard worker and open minded among other things. The young recruit was too excited to graduate to write much more than that, but he didn't forget to include the name of his Shikai at the end. I can't wait for the graduation ceremony. I've been practicing for weeks with my Shikai's abilities. It's hard to get a grip on Jinzen though... He sported a wide, goofy grin on his face, summing up his character in one simple action. Even though he took his classes half-seriously, he still ended up in the advanced class. Hideki hadn't thought much of it at the time, but the way the courses were taught presented a challenge he couldn't pass up. He had made it a point at the end of each day to thank his teacher personally, and ask what he should work on for the next day. Hopefully it would pay off and he could look back at his time at the Academy and not have regrets. ---- Kamui took the card and quickly signed his name on it. He was torn between two divisions, being the aforementioned Second Division and the Tenth Division. While he liked both, Kamui ultimately wrote down the Tenth Division. He didn't believe he had the discipline to be an Onmitsukidō, knowing he was much more of a brawler than an assassin. While may fit him well with the Eleventh Division, they way many of them looked down on kidō, one of Kamui's interested, bothered him. He wrote down his previously mentioned interests and a desire to serve the division well if they would accept him. Kamui folded the in half and placed it within his kosode, keeping in mind Izaya's instruction of delivering it to the squad's lieutenant. From there, he went to eat and meditate with his blade one last time. Closing his eyes, Kamui's consciousness faded into his mental plane. An intense heat filled the air. Kamui opened his eyes, shielding his eyes. The air was burning, filled with smoke and ash. He coughed breathing in the heated, toxic air. Where am I?, thought Kamui as he looked around. He stepped forward, finally focusing on what was in front of him. A rise in the earth, a mountain. No, even worse. Kamui saw as ash and stone spat from where the peak of the mountain should be, lightning flashing with the ash every few seconds. "A volcano," Kamui said aloud in astonishment. The volcano shook as Kamui said this, with a stream of lava pouring from one side. Kamui continued to scale the mountain, be careful to evade the lava. As he got up higher, Kamui covered his mouth with part of his sleeve to somewhat filter the air he breathed. As he reached the peak, a blonde and bearded man stood before the opening in the volcano. "W-who are you?" Kamui asked, shocked to finally see someone after the long walk and toxic air filling his lungs. The blonde man turned around, facing Kamui with bloodshot eyes. "Isn't it obvious Kamui? Do you not remember why you are here, or has the air ruined your mind?" As he could see Kamui was still confused, he sighed. "It is fine. We will speak again soon enough. Perhaps under better conditions as well. Awaken, Kamui, awaken and know that my name is..." ---- For Hikaru, there was no real needed to be made. For a woman of her stature, there was simply no other option for her. She looked down at the paper and filled it in. Eleventh Division. If there was any division that was going to hone her into a warrior worthy of competing with the monstrous beast, powerful arrancar, and traitorous Shinigami, it would be the eleventh division. When she told her parents of her decision, they tried to talk her out of it; something along the lines of, those eleventh division people are just brutes!!. However, Hikaru wasn't easily swayed by anything, especially words. She wanted to be strong, physically, and there was no place in the entire Gotei 13 that didn't prioritize raw, physical power. She smiled as she glanced at her paper, and headed towards lunch. ---- Indra Sengoku had chosen to primarily remain quiet in today's class. He was usually very chatty and would often find himself in trouble if the opportunity presented itself. But today was rather important and it kept his stress levels abnormally high and he knew the exact reason why too. It was just as his teacher had mentioned, today was a very important day and it was that of which they would be graduating and admitted into the squads of their choosing... so long as the Captain or Lieutenant in question accepted them of course. Indra's father was the Captain of the Eleventh Division, but there was no visible signs of being pressured to join the squad, yet he could feel it. "Didn't think this was gonna' come that fast." He thought, twirling his writing utensil between his fingers. "So many options... The First Division is held in high regard and the Second Division fits my style of fighting.. but I'm not as stealthy as they would think." The other divisions flicked through his mind, but he couldn't really make his mind up on anything. "I give in!" He said, scribbling the kanji for "Eleventh Division" onto the paper before pushing himself from his chair and walking out. ----Hideki got up, handing in his paper and bowing towards his teacher before leaving for lunch. He made his way to a courtyard within the academy grounds to eat and also get in a quick Jinzen session if he could. He didn't want to fight his Zanpakutō, but he wanted to try and rectify a communication problem. Uchiyama sat under a tree and ate quickly, wanting as much time as possible to meditate with his Zanpakutō. He unsheathed the blade and laid it carefully across his lap before closing his eyes and trying to erase every thought except for the landscape his Zanpakutō spirit had shown him before. A dense, lush forest at twilight. A resounding thud and a sharp pain focused on the side of his head knocked him swiftly out of his meditation state. Hideki opened his eyes to see his Zanpakutō spirit looking down at him with a disappointed look on her face. In her right hand was an ornate bō, having intricate carvings inlaid with steel. The Spirit's outfit was an elegant kimono, perfectly taken care of despite the landscape. Her skin was pale green, and she had black hair that she kept in a tight bun. She spoke in a condescending tone, pointing one end of the bō at his face. "I thought I told you I would be the one to initiate our talks. You haven't shown any progress, let alone work ethic or discipline." "Cold as always, Kōgō. I just wanted to talk, not go through the same song and dance we've done before." The Zanpakutō sneered at her Shinigami partner. "At least you remember the title I gave you to call me instead of my name. Unfortunately for you, I don't have anything motivating to say. Your hair is unkempt." The staff poked at his forehead, then at his chest. "Your uniform looks like it was thrown on without a care in the world." She walked around behind him, swatting in between his shoulders. "Your posture is awful." ''She came back around and stood in front of him, her eyes filled with disappointment. "Do you not realize that your lack of discipline in how you carry and take care of yourself will translate to a lack of discipline in combat? ''And you want to join the fabled First Division. Pathetic!" A swift kick impacted his stomach, knocking the wind out of him as well as knocking him out of meditation completely. He sprawled out on his back, trying to console his sore body while also taking in what his Zanpakutō had said. She was normally harsh, but so far there was a lesson involved with every encounter. Discipline seemed to be the name of the game this time. ----